By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia has won three matches in a row at the 2008 Homeless World Cup, currently taking place in Melbourne, Australia.
The competition kicked off on December 1, and brings together teams of homeless people from 56 countries.
Russia, which has been participating in the competition since 2003, won the tournament in 2006. The side began the 2008 campaign on Monday with a 9-6 victory over Ghana.
The team then hammered Cambodia 13-1 and crushed Sierra Leone 14-2 on Tuesday. It has so far scored 36 goals and conceded 9 in three matches.
On Wednesday, the team will take on sides from Canada and the Netherlands.
Soccer tournaments for the homeless are now international events, and the Homeless World Cup is held every year, uniting teams of homeless people from around the globe in a bid to fight poverty.
The tournament was co-founded by leading social entrepreneur Mel Young and Austrian street paper editor Harald Schmied, who came up with the idea over a beer in 2001 while they were attending the annual International Network of Street Papers conference in Cape Town.
Teams are made up of four players a side. Matches last 14 minutes and take place on a 22m x 16m pitch. The final is set to take place on December 7. Last year’s tournament was won by Scotland.